Strangers
by Fire The Canon
Summary: A collection of 4 one shots set around Pansy and Ginny. Some romance, some not. For One-shot a Day Competition and Character Diversity Boot Camp. GinnyPansy.
1. First There Is Hate

_**Whole collection written for InLoveWithLaughing's One-shot a Day Competition. This chapter uses the prompt 'bubbles'**_

_**Whole collection written for owluvr's Character Diversity Boot Camp using the prompt 'smile'**_

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**First There Is Hate**

The darkness overwhelmed her as she descended the staircase to the dungeon.

How had it come to this? Once upon a time ago, she had been able to roam the school grounds freely. She had been able to walk up the stairs with a smile on her face. Sometimes she'd even skip up them, in a world of her own.

It was that perfect, carefree bubble that every child had. The one that had been burst the moment war had come.

Unless you were willing to torture poor first years for sport, you had to sneak around in the middle of the night like your life depended on it.

And, to an extent, maybe it did. Maybe her life did depend on it, because if she was caught, she knew she was as good as dead.

But she couldn't sit back and allow other students to be tortured. She would do everything she could to put a stop to it. What more could be done to her? She already had scars that she was sure would last a lifetime. The only thing left to be taken was her life.

She tip-toed as quietly as she could, cringing as every step brought an unwanted echo through the silent castle. She wondered who was patrolling tonight. If it was the Carrows, then that was bad, but if it was Crabbe and Goyle, then she could simply outsmart them.

The door creaked open just as she approached.

"Who's there?" came a voice. It was neither male, nor did it belong to the female Carrow.

She stayed silent, pressing her thin frame to the wall as a face appeared from behind the door.

_Pansy Parkinson!_ Oh, that was not good news. Not only was she rather intelligent, but she was also big.

She held her breath, not daring to make a sound.

"I said, who's there?"

For a moment, she thought Pansy had seen her, because the Slytherin's eyes looked her way. But a moment later, her head disappeared and she could once again breathe.

Her heart hammered painfully against her chest. She would have to be more careful next time; she didn't want to end up like Neville had. They had thought him dead when he hadn't returned for two days.

Now what was she to do? She couldn't very well march in when she knew Pansy was just on the other side. The trapped students would be in even more danger than they already were. And who knew who else was in there. There was always more than one out.

She stopped to think. Maybe she could go back and bring reinforcements. No, that was too dangerous. They needed small numbers; they needed to remain hidden.

Just as she was about to approach the door once more, it opened again. This time, there was nowhere for her to hide. Pansy Parkinson's face stared back at her, an ugly sneer appearing on her face.

"Got you, Weasley," she said.

Ginny drew her wand, ready to fire a curse. She could hear whimpers coming from the dark room inside. She needed to get in there.

"We've always known you and your lot were the ones getting the firsties out of there, we just needed to catch you." Pansy also had her wand drawn. "Now, you'll be joining them."

_Like hell I will_, Ginny thought. "_Stupefy!_" The spell had hit Pansy before she even knew what was happening. The Slytherin flew back, a loud crack echoing throughout the room. Pansy howled in pain.

"Serves you right!" Ginny spat, lighting her wand so that she could see. To her surprise, Pansy had been alone, save for two terrified first years that were curled up in the corner, their arms marked with cuts and bruises, their whole body swollen from who knew what spells. The sight of them turned Ginny's stomach.

"Weasley!" Pansy roared, getting to her feet once again, her wand out, fury in her eyes. She shot a green light to Ginny, but she dodged it easily.

Pansy had just tried to kill her!

Shooting another Stunning jinx Pansy's way, Ginny hurried over to where the first years were. "Go!" she instructed, pointing to the open door. "But be careful about it."

Not needing to be told twice, they climbed to their feet and hurried away. Pansy was once again on her own feet, this time a little slower than before.

Just to ensure that she was not going to go after them, Ginny Stunned her once more. This time, the Slytherin didn't get up, but instead lay whimpering on the ground.

Ginny heeded her no more attention. As quickly as she had come, she left the dungeon, hoping to catch up with the two first years before anyone else did.

She found them standing by the door with open mouths. "Hurry!" she urged.

They ran, Ginny following them. They ran all the way to the Room of Requirement which opened upon their approach.

Neville and Lavender were already there, waiting to usher them in.

"Everything okay?" Neville asked.

Ginny nodded. "For us, yes," she said. "For Pansy Parkinson, however…." She gave him a wry smile. "She'll survive, though," she added.

Neville simply nodded.

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_**This is only going to be a collection of 4 one-shots, one posted each day (because of the one-shot a day thing). There will be romance in later chapters... I just needed something to get myself into it. I've never written Pansy before, and I tend to fair better by writing characters in canon situations to begin with. So, I've tried. I hope you like, and your reviews would be very much appreciated.**_

_**Also, on HPFC, I have a competition running called 'Fanfiction, School of Imagination and Creativity'. It's a 3 month long competition I'm running with Ralinde, and if you're interested in signing up, feel free to do so. It should be fun.**_


	2. Then There Is Affection

_**Using the prompt 'blanket'**_

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**Then There is Affection**

You've always admired her bravery.

From a distance, though.

And secretly.

The others could never know. They could never know that you thought that Gryffindor was brave. That she was beautiful. That she was smart.

They could never know that she made you happier, that she made you smile, more than anyone else ever had. They would laugh at you, think you under a spell.

And maybe you were. After all, why would _you_ fancy a _Gryffindor?_ A Weasley? Maybe she had put you under a spell. Maybe had slipped a love potion in your morning pumpkin juice.

It didn't matter, though. You still thought she was smart, beautiful and talented.

And you found yourself daydreaming of her kisses, of the two of you wrapped up together in warm blankets, of sitting by the fire… just the two of you.

It was all in your head, of course. She didn't dream of the same thing. Not at all. She looked at you with the coldest eyes – like you were spawned from the devil himself.

You could have been. Your heart was cold, but not for her. For her, it warmed you to the core.

Your heart grew bigger for her.

"Pansy."

You jump as Daphne's voice is in your ear. You've been staring at her again. What if she's noticed?

"You're so distracted lately," her friend observed. "What is it?"

You shake your head. No, you can't tell her.

"Obviously it's something… is it Draco? He seems awfully quiet these days, doesn't he?"

You finally manage to draw your eyes away from the red-haired beauty. You nod. "Yes, it's Draco," you lie. "I'm just so worried about him."

The words taste bitter in your mouth, like you're betraying her. But she doesn't care. She's only got eyes for one person.

She's only got eyes for Harry Potter.

It hurts you more than you care to admit. Why can't she like you? Why can't she just turn around for once and give you a smile; give some sign that she actually might care.

But that's just stupid. She'd never do that. The only look she'll ever give you will be a cold, hard one that is full of hate.

Because that's all you are to her. A hateful Slytherin who cares for no one but herself.

If only she knew; if only she could read your thoughts and see your heart. Then she would know that she is very much loved, and that no one will ever love her like you do.

But that was never going to happen. She was never going to notice you.

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_**I forgot to mention that these one-shots are not related at all. I hope you enjoyed this one too! **_


	3. Next Comes the First Kiss

_**Using the prompt '"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous" -Ingrid Bergman'**_

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**Next Comes the First Kiss**

He was dead. Gone. Fred wasn't coming back. She had seen it happen. She had seen the Death Eater fire the curse, and then she had seen her brother's lifeless body.

Percy had cried like she had never seen Percy cry before; George had just gone quiet.

After the war, both her mother and father had cried over him. Her mother hadn't stopped crying for weeks, now. It was horrible. Her whole family was in ruins, and Ginny couldn't take it anymore.

So she left. She wasn't really sure where she was going (Harry had locked himself away in Grimmauld Place and had requested no visitors, Ron and Hermione only seemed to want each other's company, and everyone else was too upset to even talk).

She found herself in Diagon Alley one day, where the streets were just starting to come to life again. Shops were reopening with brand new signs, and advertisements in the windows for new assistants.

It felt peaceful.

She stopped out the front of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and looked up at the sign. Once, this had been the most popular shop in the wizarding shopping district. Even when every other shop had boarded up, the joke shop kept on going.

Now, though, there was no sign of life at all. She contemplated knocking on the window to wake George up, but she decided against it. He just needed time.

"You'd think that would be open, wouldn't you?"

Ginny bristled at the voice; she knew that voice. It was the voice that wanted to send Harry to Voldemort.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, spinning around to face Pansy Parkinson. _You should be in Azkaban_, she wanted to add, but she didn't.

"Shopping," Pansy answered as if it were obvious. She gave Ginny a suspicious look. "I was just merely trying to make conversation." She made to leave, but Ginny wouldn't let her.

"You tried to kill my friends!" she cried. "And my family."

Pansy stopped, turning around again. "I never killed anyone," she said.

"You tried, though."

Pansy nodded. "But I didn't."

Ginny wasn't sure what it was, but there was something in Pansy's voice that made her believe that the girl regretted her actions. She seemed… sad.

She shook her head. Now was not the time to pity someone who could have potentially been Fred's murderer.

"Okay, well, that's good to know," she said. This time it was her turn to walk away.

"Wait… Weasley!"

Closing her eyes to compose herself, Ginny stopped, and turned to face Pansy. "If you're trying to be nice, Parkinson, the least you can do is call me by my first name."

A rush of anger seemed to flash before the Slytherin's eyes, before she sighed, and then nodded. "Ginny."

"What do you want?" This was not what Ginny had been hoping for when she had escaped the Burrow. She wanted peace and quiet; she wanted to feel close to her brother again, not talk to somebody she hated.

"I was wondering if… if you'd like to talk."

Ginny frowned. "Talk?"

Pansy nodded. "Yes."

Ginny shook her head. "Not interested." And this time she continued walking for real, not even bothering to stop despite Pansy's protests. Parkinson had followed her all the way to the entrance of Florean Fortescue's closed down ice-cream parlour. Even after his disappearance, no one had bothered to reopen it again.

"Just listen to me," Pansy begged. "I know –"

"You don't know anything, Parkinson!" Ginny cried. "You don't know what it was like being in that castle, forced to hide from teachers because you wouldn't torture first years for their satisfaction. No, you were high up with the Carrows. Probably their favourite, because you wouldn't say no. How many marks did you leave on students, Pansy? How many will never be able to lead a normal life again because of you?

"My brother died trying to fight for what was right, when you were too scared, too pig-headed, and too evil to care how many people you killed. You're evil, Pansy, and I want nothing to do with you. You should be in prison, not roaming Diagon Alley, following me like a lost puppy."

She was breathing heavily now, finally getting what she had wanted to say, off her chest. She felt so angry, so mad, at the world. She had to shout at someone.

For a moment, Pansy stood there, staring at her with an open mouth. And then… and then the next thing that happened was all a blur. Pansy had leaned forward, pressed her lips to Ginny's, and then disappeared.

Ginny blinked. Had Parkinson just kissed her? And had she really _enjoyed_ it?

Why was she smiling?

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_**And here is chapter 3! I hope you liked. I know it's a bit odd, but... I'm still quite happy with it.**_


	4. And Finally The Happily Ever After

**And Finally the Happily Ever After**

You hadn't spoken in days. It had been a huge fight – perhaps a relationship damaging one. You didn't know what to do.

You had wanted to spend the day with her, she had wanted to spend the day with her family (which you weren't welcome in) and you fought over it. She had gotten mad, and then she had Disapparated out of the flat you shared.

That was three days ago now. She had never returned.

Sitting down on the sole couch in the flat, you stare at the photograph that is sitting on the coffee table. You can't help but smile at it. You're both so happy there. She has her arms around your neck, her cheek pressed to yours, and you're both waving at the camera.

That had been a good day, yet so long ago. That had been when you were both head-over-heels for each other, careless and free.

So much had changed since then. Her family had found out, _your_ family had found out. Neither had been overly accepting.

"What do you mean _she_?" your father had asked, a glass of Firewhisky in his hand.

"I have a girlfriend," you tried to explain, knowing it was no use. "Her name's Ginny… Ginny Weasley."

That had been a frightful day as you were forced to endure your father's yelling and shouting, and the odd object exploding in the house as he directed his anger at the replaceable possessions. You weren't overly frightened, because you had expected it, but it had still been awful.

They were never going to be _happy_ for you.

Ginny's family hadn't been much better, but at least they hadn't shouted, or told her to get out of their house. No, they had shown their displeasure in other ways. More subtly.

Maybe that was worse.

"It's okay," she had soothed as you cried on her shoulder one day, not long after you had publically announced your relationship. "We don't need them."

And, for a long time, you hadn't. She missed her family, you knew that. You saw the pain in her eyes every day she was away from them, but she had suffered a year with only speaking to them on occasions.

Then, three days ago, she had snapped. And you had caused it.

You were an idiot.

Just as you set the frame down on the table again, there was a _pop_. You looked up, searching for the source of the noise, and your heart is overwhelmed by the sight of red hair striding towards you. You get to your feet, a stupid grin on your face, and she takes you into her arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

"For what?" you ask, confused. She did nothing wrong. It was all you.

"For being unreasonable," she whispers, her lips pressed into your hair. "I'm sorry."

In that moment, you don't care for an apology. You're just glad to be holding her in your arms again. Maybe she had been a little unreasonable, but she had you, and for that, you could forgive her.

You pull away from her embrace and look her up and down. She's so beautiful; how was it that you only came to love her a few years ago?

"As long as you forgive me too," you whisper.

She smiles and then nods. "Always," she assures you.

You smile back, and then close the gap between your mouths. You've never kissed her like that before, and it feels so good. It's a kiss filled with passion and love, and in that moment you realise that she loves you just as much as you love her.

Nothing could make you happier.

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_**This is probably my favourite of all four. And, apparently Pansy only likes to be written in second person. This is not my doing. I hope you like!**_


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